GASTON — As the Wes-Del football players took a knee around head coach Brad Hess, they listened to him say this team is special.

The Warriors improved to 4-0 after a 12-7 win over the Tri Titans. It's the first time the team reached 4-0 since 1989, a full 27 years ago.

It has happened by getting just enough offense and special teams to complement a stifling defense.

"After the Alexandria game where we didn't give up a point, we knew the defense was really good," Wes-Del linebacker Connor Townsend said. "Then Tri-Village scores 56 points and comes in here all cocky and we hold them to six. We're really confident right now."

To open the scoring, Wes-Del’s Dylan Torbush took the handoff and went straight up the middle for a two-yard touchdown early in the first quarter to give Wes-Del a 6-0 lead.

With the Titans moving the ball on the next drive, quarterback Drew Mondrush was flushed out of the pocket to his right before throwing a high, wobbly pass into the endzone. Warriors running back and defensive back Tyler Rector pulled down the interception, his fifth of the season.

Over the first four games, Wes-Del has allowed just 19 points. Against Alexandria, Tri-Village and Tri, Wes-Del scored 14, 18 and 12 points. Of course, the lack of offense hasn't mattered when other teams can barely score.

With less than a minute left in the second quarter and Tri on the Wes-Del 24-yard line, Nick Wilson was stuffed trying to run up the middle on fourth down and five.

"We've worked hard and gotten better," Townsend said. "It's starting to show now."

Wes-Del's second-half lead didn't last long. Tri marched downfield on its first possession before David O'Neill punched the ball in for a score to give Tri a 7-6 lead.

With the Warriors trailing for the first time, Rector capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive with a 13-yard scamper for a touchdown to regain the lead at 12-7.

He finished the game with a team-high 88 yards on 22 carries. Jake Redwine was second with 49 on 12.

"Townsend quarterbacks the defense and makes sure every player is in the right spot," Hess said. "He watches hours and hours of film and he knows what the other team is going to do before the play."

But Townsend made his flashiest play of the game on special teams. With Wes-Del leading Tri 12-7, the Titans had a field goal blocked. It was scooped up by Townsend, who raced down the left sideline to the Wes-Del 42-yard line as the crowd exploded and teammates embraced him after the play.

"I thought it was crazy Tri was going for the field goal in the first place," Townsend said. "I was just filling a gap on the play and saw the ball on the ground and thought 'I better go get that.'"